30/07/2025
Real life first. Socials second.
Sometimes, things go a bit quiet on social media, not because nothing is happening, but because real life demands our full attention. And when something is going on with one of our dogs, our priority is always their wellbeing.
A little while ago, the owner of one of our young dogs noticed a small but consistent “hop” in their gait. Not always, but often enough to raise concern. It was subtle, but as experienced dog people know, small signs can be early warnings. Pain? Discomfort? Compensation? It needed looking into.
They went to their local vet, where some basic tests were done. Nothing conclusive came out of it, but they were given a week of pain meds and told, “If it’s not better by then, we’ll investigate further.” But a one-week trial isn’t enough to draw conclusions, a proper pain trial usually runs two weeks minimum and the effects need to be evaluated in context. When symptoms improve with medication, it may point to pain as the underlying cause. When they don’t, we need to look elsewhere.
Given the uncertainty, I advised the owners to book an appointment with our own vet, Karin, someone we trust deeply. She’s not only a skilled veterinarian, but also a certified osteopath and chiropractor, with a sharp eye for movement and biomechanics.
She found some blockages and treated them. The youngster remained on pain medication and was put on full rest: no jumping, running, stairs, rough play or off-leash walks. Not fun, but absolutely necessary. The good news: the hop improved. The downside: it didn’t go away completely.
That meant we needed to look deeper. The dog was referred to SDU Anicura for further orthopedic testing. There, under sedation, the Ortolani method was used, a manual test to assess hip laxity.
The result: 15–20° of movement, and the diagnosis was hip dysplasia (HD).
You can imagine the heartbreak 💔💔💔
For the owners. For me. For everyone involved.
But also… disbelief.
Because Ortolani is a subjective method. It depends entirely on the interpretation of the examiner. There was no third-party review. And as you know, we are extremely selective in our breeding. This youngster comes from two carefully chosen parents, both with excellent official hip scores.
The mother of this youngster is Miss 💜Lina💜 who was officially X-rayed and scored HD A, with a Norberg angle of 40, a very good result within the FCI standard.
This matters. Because unlike most Beagle breeders in the Netherlands, who do not screen their dams at all… we do.
Why?
Because breeding should be based on facts, not assumptions.
Health and structure matter and hip screenings give us clarity for responsible breeding decisions.
So, what now?
We wanted certainty. Not opinion.
Yesterday, we went to Dierenkliniek Den Heuvel in Best for a PennHIP screening, the gold standard for measuring hip laxity. It requires sedation, which is never fun, but it’s necessary for the accuracy of the test.
This morning, we received the results:
🥳 No hip dysplasia!
✅ Distraction Index (DI): 0.35 on both sides
✅ Well within the safe range for Beagles (0.31–0.79)
✅ No signs of arthritis
We’re so relieved. And grateful. And proud of the owners for how they handled everything, staying calm, keeping us updated all the time and staying fully committed to their dog’s care.
The next step?
💪 Canine fitness to help this youngster build balanced muscle, improve body awareness and stay strong for the long run. Prevention is key, especially after a physical setback.
We believe in clarity, transparency and honesty, even when the road gets rough. That’s why this update was first shared privately with our puppy families and now, with full approval from the owners, we’re sharing it here too.
I’ve included a screenshot of the official PennHIP report and Lina’s X-ray below, because we believe responsible breeding starts with responsible records.
In two weeks, Baby 💝Morgan💝 and 🔥Enya🔥 will also have their full health screenings.
We’ll keep you posted 💪
